Method of making cartons



F eb. 22, 1944.

O. H. HULTIN METHOD OF MAKING CARTONS \q sa ['26 28 30 go 12' 14 I .16 16 Original Filed April 4, 1 940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 22,,1944. Q HUL-nN 2,342,198

METHOD OF MAKING CARTONS Original Filed April 4, 1,940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 22, 1944 METHOD or MAKING CARTONS Oscar H. Hultin, Quincy, Mass., assignor to Pneumatic Scale Corporation, Limited, Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application April 4, 1940, Serial No. 327,809. Divided and this application June 13,

1941, Serial No. 397,921

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of making a carton.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel. economical and practical method for producing a novel construction of carton having the usual top and bottom flaps which may be closed and sealed in existing commercial carton sealing machines, and which in addition, is of the type which may be conveniently opened at one side whereby to enable the contents of the carton to be displayed.

With this general object in viewand such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the method of making a carton hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 is a developed view of the carton; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a partially formed carton showing the end flaps extended and in the condition in which the carton may be received upon the forming block of a carton sealing machine; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a completed carton in its opened condition; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating the sequence in folding the end flaps of the carton; Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are perspective Views illustrating the procedure followed in closing one end of a lined carton, and Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a lined carton in its opened condition.

In general, the present invention contemplates a novel method for the production of a carton in which the top and bottom of the carton are closed, and whose structure is such as to enable the flap closing and sealing operations to be performed in the usual manner and in the carton sealing machines now upon the market. The present carton is particularly designed to be used as a display carton, and to this end the top and bottom flaps are closed in a particular sequence whereby the corresponding top and bottom flaps forming a part of the same side wall or panel of the carton having the side seam forming flap as part thereof, comprise the last folded flaps and are adhesively affixed to the underlying flaps of the top and bottom closures in such manner as to permit ready detachment to enable such last folded flaps together with their panel and the side seam forming flap to constitute a cover. In this manner the carton may comprise a side opened carton while at the same time permitting economies in the closing of the top and bottom flaps to be attained, and to permit the carton to be handled, filled, closed and sealed in the manner and in the machines used in performing such operations upon knock-down cartons.

For some purposes the carton may be provided with a liner of transparent material which is preferably formed in a manner such that the surface of the liner exposed when the cover is opened comprises a continuous transparent surface. In accordance with the preferred method of making the present carton, the body portion with the top and bottom flaps and a side seam forming flap may he died out from a sheet of carton forming material and the side seam sealed to form a so-called knocked-down carton The carton in this form may then be handled in existing carton feeding and sealing machines to form, fill and seal the carton in an economical, rapid and practical manner. The carton sealing machines may and preferably will be constructed so that the top and bottom flaps forming a part of the body panel having the side seam fiap as a part thereof will comprise the last folded flaps of the top and bottom closures, and only suflicient area of said flaps and said side seam flap will be adhesively secured to the underlying fiaps and contiguous panel of the body respectively as to permit the seals to be readily ruptured when it is desired to open the carton using said panel, side seam and the last folded flaps as a hinged cover member.

Referring now to the drawings, l0 represents a development of the carton blank which may comprise the usual carton board having a body portion comprising the four side or body panels l2, l4, I6, l8 which form the side walls of the carton, and an extended side seam flap or panel 20. The side wall panels are each provided with end closing flaps 22, 24, 26, 28 which may be termed the top and bottom flaps when the carton is formed in the commercial end closing machines now upon the market, and similar flaps 30 are provided for the side seam panel 20. The body portion of the carton blank may be provided with scored lines 32 for convenience in shaping the carton.

As shown in Fig. 2, the carton is first partially formed by joining the side seam panel 20 to the body panel l8 preferably by a relatively narrow strip of adhesive indicated at 34 which may extend along the body portion only, leaving the end flapsZB, 3|] free of adhesive, so that they may be separately folded as will be described. The carton illustrated in Fig. 2 is in the form of a so-called knock-down carton adapted to be received upon a forming block of a carton sealing machine for closing the bottom flaps thereof,

whereupon, in the usual packaging operations, the carton is thereafter filled or, if desired, a lining bag is first introduced into the carton and then filled, whereupon the top flaps are I closed and sealed, these operations all being performed with the carton disposed in a vertical position.

In order to close the present carton in a manner such as to enable the latter to be conveniently opened at one side, the end flaps are folded over and sealed in the sequence illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, which illustrate the manner in which the bottom flaps may be closed to seal one end of the carton while the latter is disposed upon the forming block of a carton sealing machine. As herein shown, the narrow end flaps 24, 28 are first folded down againstthe block and the remaining flaps 22, 26, 30 are folded outwardly in an extended position. Thereafter, the wide end flaps 22, 26 are provided with afilm of adhesive on their underside as illustrated, the flap 22 having only portions thereof provided with adhesive, one portion 36 being equal in area to its underlying flap 30 in the assembled carton, as will be described, and another portion 38 in the opposite outer corner comprising merely a spot of adhesive for a purpose to be described.

The next step in the end folding operation is to fold the adhesively coated flap 26 over upon the flaps 24, 28 to join these flaps together,-whereupon the flap 30 extending from the side seam panel is folded down upon the flap 26. It will be observed that no adhesive is applied to the underside of the fiap so that the latter and the flap 26 are free to move with relation to each other when opening the carton from one side, as

will be described.

The final step in the end folding operation consists in folding down the remaining flap 22 upon the flaps 30 and 26 so that in the assembled carton, the adhesively coated portion 36 will cause the flaps 22, 30 to be adhesively joined together and the portion 38 will effect a readily detachable adhesive joint between the flaps 22 and 26. The carton may be thereafter filled, or for some purposes, a lining bag ill, see Fig. 7, may first be introduced into the carton wherupon the top closing flaps may be closed and sealed in any usual manner, the latter operation being preferably performed upon a commercial top sealing machine of the type adapted to close and seal the top flaps while the filled carton passes through the machine.

Referring now to Fig. 3, as a result of the above described construction and manner of closing the end flaps of the carton, the latter is provided with a hinged side opening cover, indicated generally at 42, comprising the side wall panel l2, adjacent end flaps 22 and the side seam panel 20 which is adhesively joined to the end flaps 22 by the adjacent end flaps 30. It will be observed that in the assembled box, the hinged side opening cover is joined to the carton body only by the narrow strip of adhesive 34 and the small spots of adhesive 38 so that such adhesively joined sections may be easily detached when it is desired to open the carton. It will also be observed that the side seam panel 20 and the adjoining end flaps 30, 22 are preferably made shorter than the overall thickness of the carton leaving portions of the side wall l8 and end flaps 26 exposed, as shown. The consumer may easily detach the hinged cover by simply rupturing the adhesively joined portions 34, 38 and lifting the cover, and he may perform this operation by running his finger under the panel 20 and flaps 22, or by running a knife blade between the panels i8, 26 and between the flaps 22, 26 to break the sealed portions 34, 38.

As illustrated in Figs. 7-, 8 and 9, the invention may be embodied in a lined carton having a lining bag 40 formed of suitable transparent material and of the type in which the side seams 44 of the lining occur along the narrow side walls so that when the side opening hinged cover 42 is raised. the surface of the exposed liner comprises a continuous transparent surface as shown in Fig. 10. Such lining may be of the usual type produced upon a forming block of a lining machine of usual structure adapted to insert the formed lining bag into a carton as it passes through the machine.

In producing the lined carton, the bottom flaps are first closed as above described and the linin bag of the usual type having the bottom end closed, is inserted as shown in Fig. 7. Thereupon the carton may be filled by suitable filling mechanism and the extended ends 46 of the lining bag preferably folded down in any usual or preferred manner, as shown in Fig. 8. Thereafter, the top flaps of the carton may be closed in the manner above described so as to provide a hinged side opening cover, which, when lifted, will present an unbroken transparent surface 48, as shown in Fig. 10.

In producing the above described end fold on a commercial carton sealing machine, it is the usual practice to apply adhesive to the flaps by a transfer roller which provides a continuous film of adhesive over the entire surface of the exposed flaps 22 and 26 while disposed in the position shown in Fig. 4. It may be desired to provide special adhesive applying mechanism which will operate to apply the adhesive only to the portions illustrated. However, in practice, it has been found that by providing those portions of the flaps, which it is desired not to seal, with a printed surface or coating, the standard commercial machines may be used, since the adhesive will not be absorbed by the flaps at such printed portions, and hence, will not effect a tight seal.

From the above description it will be observed that the novel construction of and the improved method of assembling the present side opening carton is such as to enable the carton to be produced in a convenient and economical manner by the well-known commercial carton end closing machines now upon the market. It will also be observed that the present carton may be used with advantage for packaging various goods such as cookies and crackers which the consumer is in the habit of buying in a side opening carton without having to provide an expensive carton of the structure as now used. Furthermore, the present carton is of particular advantage in displaying such goods for sale, particularly when the goods are enclosed in a transparent inner lining as described.

While the invention has been herein illustrated and described as applied to a method of making the particular carton illustrated, it will be understood that the invention may be utilized for the production of other forms of cartons within the scope of the following claims.

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Serial No. 327,809, filed April 4, 1940.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. The method of making a side opening carton from a blank of material having four body panels and a side seam panel, each provided with end closing flaps, which consists in first Joining said side seam panel to one of said body panels by a relatively small area of adhesive to form a rectangular carton having the end closing flaps extended, then closing the flaps at each end of the carton in the following sequence; first folding down one pair of opposed body panel flaps; then folding down and adhesively securing an adjacent body panel flap to the previously folded body panel flaps; then folding down the side seam panel flap upon the adhesive-free surface of the last folded body panel flap; and then folding down the remaining flap and adhesively securfirst joining said side seam panel to one of said body panels by a relatively small area of adhesive to form a rectangular carton having the end closing fiaps extended, then closing the bottom flaps of the carton in the following sequence: first folding down the narrower pair of opposed body panel flaps; then folding down and adhesively lying opposed flap; and then filling the carton securing an adjacent wider flap to the underlying the bottom flaps, whereby to form a hinged cover capable of being opened by detaching the latter from the body portion at said portions joined by said small areas of adhesive.

3. The method of making a lined side opening carton from a blank of material having four body panels and a side seam panel, each provided with top and bottom end closing flaps, which consists in firstjoining said side seam panel to one of said body panels by a relatively small area of adhesive to form a rectangular carton having the end closing flaps extended, and: then closing the bottom flaps of the carton in the following sequence: first folding down one pair of opposed body panel flaps; then folding down and adhesively securing an adjacent body panel flap to the underlying flaps; then folding down the side seam panel flap upon the adhesivefree surface of the last folded flap; then folding down the remaining body panel flaps and adhesively securing the latter to the underlying side seam flap and to a small area of the underlying opposed flap; then inserting a lining bag into the open end of the carton so that the side seams of the latter will be concealed when the carton is opened; filling and closing the lining bag; and then closing the top flaps in the same sequence as the bottom flaps, whereby to form a hinged cover capable of being opened by detaching saidcover from the body portion at said portions joined by said small areas of adhesive to expose a, continuous surface of the liner.

OSCAR H. HULTIN. 

